Taking Art Into The Open

PHOTO: Organic Gallery pop-up art show at the home of Jacque Dean in 2017.

Organic Gallery pop-up show will be held Saturday, April 29 in Jackson.

As an artist, finding just the right space to show her work was always a challenge for Nicole Hymowitz. She was determined to find - or create - a space of her own. The idea behind the Organic Gallery was formulated on a shaded porch on a sunny spring day in 2017. Sitting with her friend Jacque Dean, the pair discussed the idea for an outdoor showroom to display works.

To test the idea, they arranged their first “pop-up” art show at Jacque’s home in Atlantic Highlands.

“I didn’t want to be alone in showing my work and I knew several artists whose work I liked. I asked if they wanted to join me and they were excited to do it,” Nicole said.

Using her natural gift for art display, Jacque Dean transformed her porch and yard into a showroom for seven Monmouth County artists. The show, which incorporated live music, was a huge hit and concluded with the sale of several art pieces.

The premise of the Organic Gallery is to incorporate art and environment in ways that enhance the work. The art shows are one day “pop-up” displays that include a variety of local artists with different styles and mediums. They are held at different locations, where art enthusiast and patrons can experience the art in natural outdoor environments, away from the typical gallery setting. “Part of the challenge in hanging work this way is not having the ‘white walls’ of a gallery, but using the various outdoor settings in such a way as to enhance the art and provide an individual experience for the viewer,” said Jacque Dean.

Nicole Hymowitz noted, “An additional goal of the Organic Gallery is to bring artists together to promote each other and share their creative processes. This way each artist is able to talk about all the displayed work to the patrons who attend these shows.”

Organic Gallery is committed to making a social contribution too. Working with The White Butterfly, a gift boutique and cafe, Organic Gallery will curate local art and photography talent benefiting The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation. 25% of all art sales will go to the foundation. Please come out and support our local artists and this underfunded research. There will also be live acoustic music. Refreshments will be served.